Boothroyd not bothered about Leeds, but the are

04 November 2010 08:32

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Tickets selling well, Good crowd expected. Coventry City are hoping to have a record crowd in at The Ricoh Arena for Saturday's visit by Leeds United. Leeds have sold out of their 6,200 allocation of tickets and sales to City fans are reported as being strong. The club is hoping to have a crowd in excess of 25,000, which will make it the biggest gate of the season so far. Coventry City boss Aidy Boothroyd, a Bradford born Yorkshire man, was asked if this added extra spice to the game, but he denied it saying,“Not really. I am not bothered about Leeds." "I put that to bed when I beat them in the play off final when I was at Watford, so don’t worry about that. It is no big thing playing Leeds or anyone else.” Boothroyd has led his side to fourth place in the Npower Championship league table and has vowed to make The Ricoh a place where visiting teams and fans will dread coming to. He is hoping his side can continue their run of good form and that the winning ways and robust attacking style of football will attract the fans back to The Ricoh. “I hope tickets are selling well because I thought the fans were absolutely superb on Saturday, not just the number of them but the noise they made,” he said. “Come and have a look at us. If you are not sure give it a go and see what it’s like. You can’t knock it until you have tried it. It is a different team with a different manager and different mentality and we are enjoying things at the moment. We are working really hard to get better all the time. We are by no means complacent but I want to fill that Arena." "I have mentioned apathy in the past but that’s nobody’s fault or me pointing any fingers at anyone because, generally, when you point a finger at someone they point back at you and I think the club and the team have to take responsibility for where we are as an organisation, but things are changing and turning round." “We know we are not the best we can be yet but we are getting some momentum and are certainly going in the right direction and getting better all the time.” Boothroyd admitted he is unsure what to expect from Leeds on Saturday. He doesn't know if they come to The Ricoh to attack or to defend. When asked about Leeds he said, “I am not quite sure really. They are a very good team away from home, they have got players who can score goals and a solid record and winning mentality and fabulous backing, so on their day they are as good as anyone in the league,but so are we and I think it is going to be a terrific match and I am really looking forward to it.” “They have conceded a lot this season but it is a different league and new experience for them. I know Simon Grayson has been there before and Leeds have been there before but a lot of their players are gelling because it is a team that has changed a bit. And when you lose a player like Jermaine Beckford things do change." “The goalkeeper is different now and the two centre backs where Andy O’Brien and Alex Bruce have come in, so it is a team that is finding its feet but at the same time it is a team that has still got Jonathan Howson who is a class act and if you don’t look after him then you know he will give you problems." “I think Luciano Becchio is a good player but Leeds have got a good squad and anyone who plays will give us a good game, so we have got to be right up for this one.” Boothroyd reminisced about his younger days watching both Bradford and Leeds as a spectator. He said, “I used to watch both because in those days they played in the same division and one week I would go to Valley Parade and watch Bradford and the next week I’d go to Elland Road when Bradford were away." “I used to see a lot of football and now and again I would nip down to Sheffield Wednesday where Mel Sterland was because I used to like watching him and was aspiring to be him, and ended up getting nowhere near him, but like most lads I favoured the team where I grew up more than anyone else.”